Yet another anime blog.

Episode #06 is probably the one that I can relate to the most. I studied computer science in college, and have been fascinated with the success of Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Paul Graham, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. These people, well, made big business with innovation and basically changed how we interact with information to some degree. So what the Eden of the East circle have in their hands here? Rather, what wouldn’t Eric Schmidt or Steve Ballmer give to acquire EotE?

So here comes a sad part. Despite having one of the most awesome technologies in the IT world, EotE’s business doesn’t fly. They get bogged down by trivial issues like Saki’s getting emo or one user’s dropping out of college because EotE doesn’t seem to work to well for her as an online matchmaking tool. This is kind of understandable because, at first, they didn’t have any other use of the search engine besides tagging recycled goods. Moreover, only Hirasawa is serious in making the struggling EotE a real business before they all met Akira. I have to admit that I’m disappointed with Hirasawa though: despite having studied economics for 4 years, he doesn’t even know that venture capitalists do exist to help make this very kind of business possible.

Notice the career paths of the new graduates choose and how they perceive themselves. Saki and Ohsugi supposedly left the club to search for jobs like other “respected members of the society.” On the other hand, Hirasawa who decides to stay another year to see the business through labels himself as a “NEET.” Episode #05 basically tells us that being a NEET like Hirasawa is definitely better than working for someone who would drop gyuudon on your skirt.

The writer, though, distinguishes two kinds of NEETs: those “loser NEETs” Akira sent to Dubai and those Hirasawa calls “sugo-ude NEETs” (すご腕ニート, lit: NEET with great ability). It seems that the writer sees the loser NEETs as not willing to engage with society out of their own ignorance. He just wants them to just come out of their rooms to experience the real world, and believes that things are going to go well beyond expectation, like how one of the NEET found himself a bride in just 3 months.

Sugo-ude NEETs are those like Saki and Hirasawa. They are capable and resourceful, but refuses to go to the job marker for some reasons. Saki has a talent of seeing values of seemingly useless things. Moreover, she was successful at job hunting once, but rejected the offer just because she’s disgusted by how the company exploits young people. Hirasawa got six job offers, but rejected all of them to figure out how to start his own business.

I think the writer wants to tell the Japanese society that the system does not work well for creative individuals. There is a constant pressure that forces everyone to a mold of a typical “shakaijin”: having a respectable job at a company and working your ass off for it. And this is what being “socially responsible” is about. Saki went for an interview again, though she didn’t really want to, because she didn’t want to be a burden to her family. Yet, the system confines individuals’ potential and does not give the proper respect and compensation to young people. On the contrary, not joining the workforce is, as Ohsugi puts it, only possible if your family is rich. All in all, people who chose to be like Hirasawa are labeled as NEETs, a burden to society, regardless of what their reasons are.

The subtitle of East of Eden reads 「この国の”空気”に戦いを挑んだひとりの男の子と、彼を見守った女の子のたって１１日間の物語」　(lit: an 11 days long story of a boy who picks fight with this country’s “atmosphere” and the girl who watches after him.) It would seem that “atmosphere” that Akira tries to fight is the corporate culture and the overall attitude that don’t give young people a say on how to start their career, forcing them to be sugo-ude NEETs rather than respectable shakaijin. A nobel goal indeed. I wonder how he’s going to do it because funding EotE is just helping just one group of sugo-ude NEETs realize their dream. Certainly, this will look impressive to neither the Supporter nor Mr.Outside. But, hey, who knows what’s going to happen next? Perhaps Akira has some outrageous plan in his head already.

We learned that Noblesse Oblige cellphone is nothing magical, but it makes things happen with the power of money. Kondou Yuusei, the debt-ridden cop is introduced, and he will be after Akira cellphone’s in the next episodes. Would this mean that Kondou would be killed by the Supporter soon?  Or… If he can see how another Selecao uses money, does it mean he’s the Supporter himself?

Kondou Yuusei finger-guns hit debtor.

Three lives at the price of 1,500,000 Yen.

Most part of the episode is about Saki’s following Akira around Tokyo. He’s heading to Toyosu, which is the address in his passport, to figure out who he is. Saki proactively goes after him, asking him to go for coffee and making a sad face when they’re about to part ways. Akira goes along with Saki’s advance and acts just like a prince charming. It feels just like watching a Josei-oriented anime (which is not a bad thing at all).

We also learn a bit about Saki’s and Akira’s past. Saki’s parents died in an accident and she’s now under care of her sister and her husband, Yousuke, whom Saki says an honest man. After listening to Saki’s story, Akira recovered some memory of his own. It would seems he lost his mother when he was young.

Story-wise, this is an uneventful episode, and it is nowhere as exciting as the first. Animation quality also seems to drop somewhat. Still, I like it. (I didn’t expect anything much from this episode after all.) The atmosphere they build around Saki and Akira is very nice, and I also find Saki likeable as a character.

When I saw the preview and read the story premise of Eden of the East, I became super excited and went into gosh-I-cannot-wait-for-it-to-air-gyaaaaaaa mode. I totally expected the first episode to blow me away. It didn’t, and I’m now in denial.

By all means, it’s not that the first episode is bad. The animation is more than rock solid. The background is gorgeous. The acting and the reaction between characters are enjoyable. It’s just that everything significant is already in the preview. I was expecting to learn more about the cellphone and that other car driving Selecao, but the episode gave me nothing. Arrggghhhh…..

The first episode focuses on the encounter between Morimi Saki and Takizawa Akira in DC. It would seem that Akira’s being naked and losing memory are all premeditated: he even instructed Juiz to give him no information except where he’s supposed to be next. (Smells like Yagami Light, hmm?) In his room, there are M-60s, multiple Japanese passports bearing his face, and a photo of him taken from above a large group of nakedman with a writing 「殺す！」 (lit: Kill!). In the anime’s web site, the photo in question is tagged with ニート失踪事件 (lit: NEET disappearance incident) in which 20,000 young NEETs suddenly disappeared without trace from Japan. Wow, so did Akira masacre those guys to save his country? If so, he’s so much more looney than I expected. Interestingly, he doesn’t seem to care much about who his previous self was, being only mildly surprised at the possibility that he might have been killing people and all.

The Messiah saved Japan by getting rid of NEETs.

Next week, Akira will be chased a cop who also has a noblesse oblige cellphone. The cop must be Kondou Yuusei, who is said to waste the phone’s money on gambling and women, and now he has only 7,000 Yen left. It seems we will be treated to his life story here. I’d rather learn more about the missile attack and Akira’s mystery though.

I’ll continue watching the series for sure, but probably I still have to cut down on my expectation and curiosity. I want the anime to surprise me after all.

Seriously, Shangril-la couldn’t have chosen a better time to air than now: when the world is worried about global warming, and when the financial market is tanking. And, of course,  it’s all the better when you throw actions, and, most importantly, THREE, not just one, OUTSTANDING LOLIS to the mix.

Other observations:

• WTF, a ban on books to preserve forest and reduce carbon emission!

• “Don’t assume all the human knowledge is in the Internet.” — LOL. Who would have thunk that?

• Obstruct the royal road and get bombarded by a 100 mm cannon –> That’s old.
  Burn coal to cause a disruption in the carbon market and get bombarded by a 100 mm cannon –> THAT’S NEW!

• This is the first time I see a quant portrayed in anime, in the best form evar: a loli. Karin’s tech savvy-ness and math prowess fit the stereo type of someone whom  D. E. Shaw. would hire. Yeah, I totally dig you, D.E.Shaw-tan!

• The conversation between D. E. Shaw-tan and Foreign Minister Abidin reminds me of the controversy around international carbon emission control. While the method used would not be a global carbon tax as in the anime, other measures such as carbon tariffs have been suggested by Steven Chu. This would certainly put burden on third-world nations (I think my country is included) and industrializing country which takes advantage of its cheap labor rather than expensive green technology *cough* China *cough*. One naturally has to wonder if such a measure is a sincere solution to global warming or just disguised protectionism. (I believe Steven Chu has good intention though.)
  
  Shangri-la takes the scenario further and pretty much says that third-world countries would just be bullied by global carbon tax and trading. An interesting spin is that such a trading system would give rise to a free market where people like D. E. Shaw-tan can reap a substantial amount of profit from plights of underdeveloped countries. Moreover, all carbon emitting actions like burning coal or cutting down trees have direct impact on the market, and people would be punished by lethal force if they cause too much of a market stir. Very imaginative indeed.

• “Complexity of the market” features prominently in the episode. Shogo cannot detect D. E. Shaw-tan’s action because of market’s complexity, and Takehiko’s prediction was a flop because of market’s complexity. There are people like Ryoko who try to simplify and stabilize it, and there are also people like D. E. Shaw-tan to takes advantage of the complexity for their own ends.

I’m lazy, but still wanna blog a bit. So you get Momotato-styled post.

A retarted girl got recruited to form a band with a foolhardy tomboy, a tsundere who doesn’t know how to say no, and an ojou-sama who never have had fast food outside in her entire life. Yui’s retardedness is annoying. Of course, Mio is made of pure win in the ED, but what capivated me was the following shot of Ritsu:

I found this very sexy. Don’t ask me why.

…but I can’t have since I’m messy. How much do all these gears cost? Man, that guy must be filthy rich.

It all started with the TV ads below:

One thing is big, loud, and clear: Ha! Ka! Ta! no! Shio!
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ヘブン状態 (heaven joutai)

In a female-oriented (read: fujoshi-bait) DS game called “DUEL LOVE,” you can use the touch pen to, err, “wipe the sweat” of the bishounen below to sway his mood like this:

angry –> annoyed –> normal –> happy –> embarassed –> HEAVEN JOUTAI!!

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Dude! Watch this IMMEDIATELY!

• Reimu’s donation box, Patchouli’s books, and SDM’s coffee and drink supplies all disappear in the same night.
• Reimu goes to SDM investigate with Aya and Marisa in tow.
• The gang goes to see Patchouli, whom Reimu thinks stole the the donation box (without any reason).
• Patchouli fights Reimu with Royal Flare. Reimu retaliates with a flying kick followed by Musou Fuuin.
• Remilia comes to stop the fight and points out that it’s a case to be solved.

Impression

• Superb! Supreme! Magnificent! GODLY! GYAAAAAAAH! マジですご過ぎる!!! Can’t believe this is doujinshi!
• I’m impressed by the background and the fight scene.
• While the characters’ genga are not the prettiest in the world, they move like a high-budget anime.
• Marisa’s voice is too boyish for my taste. Sakuya’s is kind of too soft. Aya’s is perfect. I expected Patchouli to sound more reserved, but Takahashi Mikako did quite well.
• The Aya-boke-Marisa-tsukkomi combo works quite well. I got a few small laughs from their interactions. Reimu’s what-the-fuck-this-meddling-tengu-is-doing is golden.
• “Next Episode: Yukarin is 17 years old.”wwwwwwwww So Onee-chan is going to voice her then! Actually, they haven’t thought about the 2nd episode’s title yet.

ZUN’s blog post I partially translated (alternate translation available at Sankaku Complex, of course) seems to generate much controversy both in Japan and in the world of us weaboos. The anime’s promotional video in Nico Nico Douga was made 10 minutes long to allow lots of comments, and there you would find lengthy comments (by Nico Nico standard)  like you would find at Sankaku Complex.

More important than the postscript, the main meat of the post outlined ZUN’s copyright policy, setting the limits on what people can do wiith Touhou content. Here are some excerpts: Continue reading →